


Jonathan Sims and the Inability to Resist a Mystery

by quantumducky



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: (they're not really enemies they just don't like each other much at first, Canon-Typical spiders, Enemies to Friends, Gen, Non-Graphic Violence, Pre-Canon, pre-romantic if you want lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 06:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21797431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quantumducky/pseuds/quantumducky
Summary: AU where Jon, while working at the Magnus Institute as a researcher, happens to meet one Gerard Keay. It's not a good first impression, but it's funny how one little near-death experience can change things.
Relationships: Gerard Keay & Jonathan Sims
Comments: 10
Kudos: 184
Collections: Rusty Quill Secret Santa 2019





	Jonathan Sims and the Inability to Resist a Mystery

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Edgedancer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Edgedancer/gifts).

“Hey, excuse me.”

The words which interrupted Jon’s intent concentration on his work may have been polite enough, but they were spoken in such a casual tone- almost bored- that he was flooded with irritation regardless, certain that whatever they wanted, it couldn’t possibly have been important enough to interrupt him over if they were sounding like  _ that _ about it. He looked up from his computer, ready to snap at them, and stopped. The scathing remark about having more important things to do died on his tongue when he took in the man standing in front of him, tall and sharp-featured and  _ extremely _ goth. Jon didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone so committed to an aesthetic before in his life.

Presumably used to a bit of staring, the man simply leaned forward- Jon hadn’t quite stopped blinking at him enough to say anything about his wider than average personal space bubble, which was being slightly invaded- and asked, “Can you tell me how to get to the basement?”

Jon didn’t even let him finish the question before himself asking, “Are you  _ sure _ you’re supposed to be in here?” He did realize how rude that was, although possibly not until he was already a few words in, but in his defense, it had also been rude for a perfect stranger to walk up and distract him when he was focusing.

_ “Yes, _ what the hell- look, I’m here to see Gertrude- the Archivist, do you know how to get there or not?” He now looked about as annoyed as Jon felt, which probably shouldn’t have been as satisfying as it was.

“Go down that hallway, turn left at the end, and there’s a  _ sign _ right there telling you where to go,” Jon explained with a bit of a sigh. He hated having to give directions for things that, in his mind, were painfully obvious, and didn’t tend to bother hiding what he thought of the asker for requiring them.

The man pushed off the desk, raised his eyebrows in a clear “yikes” expression, and walked away in the direction he’d indicated with a comment under his breath Jon didn’t quite catch, but felt confident in assuming was not complimentary. Which he didn’t actually care about, obviously; he was just happy to be left alone as soon as possible to try and return to what he’d been doing. It didn’t matter what the two of them thought of each other if they never saw each other again, and Jon  _ sincerely _ doubted they’d have any future cause to interact.

Jon, to his great chagrin, was wrong. The man kept showing up, and who even  _ knew _ what he was doing- Jon certainly didn’t, no matter how much he tried to figure it out, and obviously he couldn’t outright  _ ask. _ All he was able to find out from others was his name: Gerard Keay, apparently. Once, he walked by looking like he’d recently been on fire. Another time he was very carefully carrying a large, oddly-shaped item wrapped up in cloth. Yes, this was the Magnus Institute, but it wasn’t as if the vast majority of what they researched here turned out to be  _ real, _ and so this was definitely the weirdest thing Jon had seen in a long while. Occasionally Gerard would catch him staring, and what resulted was comparable to the result of two distrustful cats being put in a room together. Neither of them wanted to blink first.

He probably should have let it go at that. He  _ definitely _ should have just let it go. Unfortunately, Jon had never exactly learned how to  _ do _ that, and so he ended up… well, he didn’t like to think of it as what it most likely  _ was, _ borderline stalking him. It was- listen, most of what the Institute looked into wasn’t real, but Jon knew all too well that some of it  _ was, _ and he was sure there were things in Artefact Storage that could do a lot of damage in the wrong hands, and he did not  _ trust _ Gerard Keay. So it was completely reasonable to want to make sure he wasn’t doing anything suspicious. He may or may not have actually known head archivist Gertrude Robinson, but even if he did… Jon had met the woman. She couldn’t possibly be too difficult to hide things from. So, yes, he asked around on the subject until his coworkers were obviously a little worried about him, and when that proved not very helpful, did a little light eavesdropping.

And he was  _ right, _ okay? Because one of those times, he heard something very suspicious indeed. Gerard was on the phone with someone while leaving the building, and Jon was… admittedly following behind him in a way he could only hope wasn’t too obvious, and while he couldn’t make out most of what was being said, he did very  _ distinctly _ catch the name  _ Leitner, _ along with something about  _ finally tracking it down _ and  _ heading over there now. _ Before he could think better of it, Jon followed him outside, intending to find out  _ exactly _ what was going on.

* * *

Gerry knew, obviously, that the prick from the library- Jon, he’d heard the man called- was tailing him. It wasn’t like he was actually any  _ good _ at it, and it was just lucky he’d decided to try it on someone who wasn’t inclined to respond with violence. As it was, he wasn’t headed anywhere  _ too _ dangerous- a Leitner left behind in an abandoned house; as long as nobody was stupid enough to  _ read _ it, the biggest threat was a totally mundane one from the run-down building itself- and if necessary, he would definitely be able to take him in a fight. So, as far as Gerry was concerned, he could follow him all he wanted. Might even be good for him, seeing just a bit of the real danger out there in the world, if he was going to be working at the Magnus Institute.

He kept on pretending not to notice anything until he was standing right outside the house in question. It had an almost comedic resemblance to the stereotypical haunted house: dark, cracked windows, cobwebs everywhere. It was less funny in the context of how that appearance had led him to find it. With a place so obviously spooky, the occasional gang of local teenage idiots just couldn’t resist daring each other to go in. Most of them didn’t come out again.

“I do know you’re there,” he finally said, turning to face where he knew Jon was standing. “Not sure if you’ve noticed, but you’re pretty bad at sneaking around.”

He froze briefly in the shadow where he’d tried to conceal himself, then sighed and warily approached. “So what now, you- kill me?”

Gerry almost laughed, but managed to keep a straight face. Serious, because he needed Jon to  _ take _ him seriously and not think this was all some kind of bizarre prank or something. “I mean, not unless you’re about to try and kill  _ me. _ Look, I can’t stop you from following me- I mean, I could, but it’s a lot of trouble I’d rather not go to. I just think you should know what you’re walking into.”

“A house,” he deadpanned.

“The  _ house _ isn’t what I’m talking about,” he explained as patiently as he could manage.  _ Skeptics. _ Sometimes you just wanted to  _ let _ them get themselves killed, if only to wipe away the smug superiority. “There is something in here that can  _ kill you, _ okay? That’s why I’m here, to destroy it. …You’re probably not going to believe me about any of this, but-”

Jon took a step forward, expression turning from distrust to sharp interest. “It’s a book. Isn’t it? The Library of Jurgen Leitner.”

“…Yeah.” Gerry had a slightly different set of worries now. Anyone looking that  _ keen _ at the mention of cursed books was unlikely to be a person who should be allowed anywhere near them. Then again- Magnus Institute. “If you know that, you know how dangerous these things are, so just- if you’re going to follow me in, do  _ not _ touch it.”

The look on his face said he very much did understand the danger, or at least thought he did. “Of course not,” he said in a somewhat offended tone, “I’m not stupid. And I  _ will _ be coming in, thank you.” There was a slight pause. “If you’re going to destroy it… I want to watch.”

He simply shrugged in response and turned back to the house to get the door open. He might be more bothered by the implication that he couldn’t be trusted not to take the book for himself, if not for the fact he’d just had pretty much the same concern about Jon. Also, the fact that Jon was an  _ ass _ and Gerry had no reason to  _ care _ what he thought.

“There,” he announced with mild satisfaction, twisting the knob and letting the door swing open with an appropriately ominous creak. He caught Jon’s impressed look in the second before he schooled his expression again, and was a bit surprised. Wouldn’t have taken him for the sort to have anything but disapproval for Gerry’s lockpicking skills.

There was enough dust on the floor that the two of them left footprints in it as they walked inside. Gerry wrinkled his nose at it and avoided sneezing by sheer force of will.

“Do you, ah, know where exactly it is?” Jon’s voice was hushed, like he was afraid the book itself would hear them if he spoke up.

“Nope. Just that it’s in here somewhere. Shouldn’t be too well hidden, though… they tend to want to be found.”

Jon shuddered and then pushed his reaction away again. When he spoke again, it was businesslike. “Right. Shall we… split up, then? You check this room, and I-?”

“No offense, Jon,” Gerry cut him off, “but there is absolutely no way I’m letting you go off on your own in here. You stay where I can see you.”

He huffed a bit, but didn’t argue. Seemed a bit relieved, actually, under the affronted air he put on. “Fine. I suppose we can both start here.”

Of course it wasn’t realistic to  _ actually _ keep Jon in his sight the entire time they were searching bookcases. He did try to at least keep the man in his peripherals, just in case he was more of an idiot than previously suspected and tried to sneak away after all. He seemed to be staying put, though, running his index finger carefully over the spine of every book on the shelf in front of him- the intent concentration on his face might have been almost cute, if Gerry hadn’t already been aware of his personality. After a while, he stopped worrying about keeping an eye on him and slipped into his own state of focus. Finding the book wasn’t really about looking at it, not in the usual sense, anyway. Outward appearance didn’t matter, but he would know it when he saw it.

He didn’t let himself focus so deeply as to block out the rest of the world, though- he wouldn’t still be alive at this point if he was in the habit of doing things like  _ that. _ Which was why, three rooms into their search, he jumped and spun around so quickly when Jon touched his arm. Because he was  _ on his guard, _ and not because he hadn’t been paying attention and startled badly, okay?

If he was annoyed, it died away instantly when he looked at Jon’s face, tight and clearly scared. He almost asked what was wrong, but something told him to stay quiet. Instead, he just raised his eyebrows in question.

Wordlessly, Jon pointed to the floor by the doorway with a slightly shaking hand. Their footprints were there in the dust. And then there was  _ another _ set of footprints, leading in the opposite direction, from the one room at the back of the house they hadn’t made it to yet to the one they’d just come from. Those hadn’t been there when they came in- and apparently, they’d both been too absorbed in looking through shelves to catch whoever left them.

_ Shit. _

“Okay,” he whispered, pretending as hard as possible that he knew what to do about this. “Stay behind me, we’ll have to go after them.”

* * *

The dusty tracks appeared to lead down into the basement, a door they hadn’t yet opened. It stuck a little when Gerry pulled on it, but he tried to be as quiet as possible anyway. It was so much worse down here than in the rest of the house: much more dust, and much more cobwebs. Bad sign. None of them looked occupied, but that didn’t have to mean anything. Jon obviously didn’t feel good about it, either- when he brushed against the wall and got some stuck to his sleeve, he looked like he wanted to burn the whole jacket, although he didn’t say anything.

The basement itself was dark, although enough light came down from the top of the stairs to see by. There wasn’t much down there aside from some boxes of junk and a table on one corner… with a book on it.  _ Very _ suspicious. Gerry didn’t want to make a move until he knew where their mystery person was hiding. He narrowed his eyes at the dark corners of the room, taking a few steps in and debating whether it would be too risky to get his torch out.

He didn’t notice Jon moving slowly out from behind him until he was already on the other side of the room, standing over the table. He made a soft, almost choked noise and reached out, just as slowly, as if in a trance.

Under the circumstances, Gerry didn’t have much time to think about it before rushing over and jerking him away by the back of his jacket. “What the  _ hell _ are you doing?” he hissed, and Jon startled as if he’d forgotten there was anyone else in the room with him. He didn’t quite get the chance to respond.

An angry sound came from behind them, and they both spun around. Standing between them and the stairs was someone- no, more like  _ something,  _ even with the thing’s features obscured in shadow it was all too clearly not human.

* * *

Jon couldn’t move. He hadn’t felt  _ much _ like he could move even  _ before _ the creature revealed itself, but now he was even further frozen in fear. The- oh he  _ really hated _ having to think of it as a  _ spider monster, _ but what else could it possibly  _ be _ called- anyway, while he was rather hysterically trying to figure out what it was, it screeched in a way that suggested very upsetting things about its throat and lunged at them, and Jon didn’t even manage to move  _ then _ until Gerard physically shoved him out of the way. He wound up on the floor, dazed, and the… creature… crashed into the table and broke it in half. Jon told himself it hadn’t been a very sturdy table, but it didn’t make him feel any better about the thought that that had almost been him.

“You stay out of the way,” Gerard snapped, before he could do more than look around wildly at the aftermath. “Or back upstairs, if you can, just-  _ try _ not to get killed.” He pulled a knife out of his coat- it wasn’t exactly small, and Jon wondered vaguely how he managed to hide it, because pretty much anything was preferable to wondering if he was about to die- and ran at the creature just as it finished extracting its too-many-limbs from the broken table.

It was difficult to keep track of what happened after that, because it all happened so fast and because none of it made any goddamn  _ sense _ and because Jon suspected he might have been very slightly concussed. He couldn’t get to the stairs, but he kept to the furthest corner he could and tried not to think about how easy it would be to run over and grab the book, right now, while Gerard was too busy fighting to stop him. He didn’t even  _ want _ the book, he wanted it  _ destroyed, _ it just- kept making its way into his head.

He had semi-unconsciously crept up next to what remained of the table when everything nearly went wrong.

Gerard and the creature were on the other side of the room- it was difficult to see from here, but it  _ looked _ like it wasn’t going too badly, at least, despite a mildly worrying amount of blood. He had it nearly backed into a corner, if he could only get close enough to  _ hit _ it properly. And then Gerard made a mistake. It wasn’t a mistake Jon was actually able to make  _ out, _ but he both saw and heard the knife, knocked out of his hand, clatter against the floor some distance away. He swore, then shouted in pain when the creature knocked him to the floor and pinned him there.

_ The book, _ said a voice in Jon’s head.  _ Take the book, it will help- _

He reached over almost blindly- and then regained his senses and jerked away at the last second, hand closing instead on a broken-off table leg.

…That could work.

Jon lifted the jagged wood and threw it, as hard as he could, in the direction of the spider-person-thing. It made another terrifying noise- hopefully, this time, one of pain- and then Gerard grabbed the table leg as it fell to the floor and swung upwards.

The creature- there was no more pleasant word for it- burst. Into thousands of tiny spiders. Thankfully, they seemed much more interested in finding dark corners to hide in than attacking.

“Thanks,” Gerard said after a few seconds of mutual stunned silence.

Jon went  _ another _ few seconds before pulling himself together enough to respond. “R-right. Of course. Uh- the book?”

He nodded and pulled out a lighter. A few minutes later, they were standing outside. Soon enough, the fire would spread to consume the entire house.

“What was that…  _ thing?” _ Jon eventually asked, breaking the silence in which they’d been watching the flames. “I mean, the footprints- but that can’t have been a  _ person.” _

He shrugged. “Not anymore, but… I mean, if you know about those books, you know the kind of things they can do to people. Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what happens, once you spend enough time with that specific one.”

“Oh,” Jon said a bit faintly. He looked back at the fire. “I… I see.”

So  _ that _ was probably going to be a fun new genre of nightmare to experience. For the moment, he decided to just… refuse to think about it. Whatever reaction he was going to have to all this, once it stopped feeling more like a very strange and frightening dream than anything else, it could damn well wait until he was in the privacy of his own home.

They stood in silence just a little longer, and then Gerard squinted at the smoke filling up the house and nodded to himself, like he’d just seen something Jon couldn’t and approved of it. “Well, it’s definitely gone now. If you don’t want to be arrested, I’d suggest we get out of here before someone notices this. Ideally not in the same direction.”

“…Right.” Jon shifted awkwardly as they were about to go their separate ways. “I’ll… see you around, Gerard?” What  _ did _ you say in this situation?

He nodded, just as awkwardly, and hesitated for a long moment before correcting him: “Gerry. That’s, uh, what my friends call me. We did just kill a monster and commit arson together, so I figure you probably count.”

“Oh- uh, alright. Gerry.”

Another moment, and they shook hands. Despite everything they’d just been through, both of them walked away with a slight smile.


End file.
